Posts Tagged ‘Brian Roberts’

July 13, 2014 · 10:04 AM ET

From NBA.com staff reports

Just because LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Pau Gasol and so many other high-profile free agent targets have already made their decisions doesn’t mean this summer’s free agent party is over. The center of the basketball universe is in Las Vegas for Summer League, that’s where the games are being played and the movers and shakers are stationed right now. But the grind of free agency continues all over the place. We’re not done yet …

Update, 1:17 a.m. — Take some quiet time, Pau

After a long day of team decision-making and contract-negotiating, Pau Gasol is ready to ponder his vacation and his future … quietly, of course.

Looks like Pau Gasol is ready for the (semi) long haul in bringing a title to Chicago, working on a three-year deal for reasonable price.

Update, 9:48 p.m. — More shooting for SVG

The Detroit Pistons ranked 29th in 3-point percentage last season. And it’s been obvious from the start of free agency that priority No. 1 for new president and coach Stan Van Gundy is improving that mark.He started by adding Jodie Meeks (40.1 percent from three last season) and Cartier Martin (39.1 percent). Now, he’s adding more shooting with the additions of D.J. Augustin (40.1 percent) and Caron Butler (39.4 percent)...

Can confirm cia sources the Pistons have agreed to terms with Caron Butler and Dj Augustin… Butler is a one-yr w/team option for yr 2

None of these four guys can make a huge impact individually. But collectively, they will space the floor for Detroit’s bigs. And none of them break the bank, with contracts that can easily be worked into trades.

Of course, Greg Monroe remains unsigned as a restricted free agent. Butler probably shouldn’t be a starting small forward anymore, but he could definitely make Josh Smith more of a permanent four than he was last season.

One more note: The Augustin addition is bad news for second-year point guard Peyton Siva, whose contract would become guaranteed on July 20 if he’s not waived by then. Siva must not have made enough of an impression on Van Gundy in Summer League.

Update, 8:40 p.m. — Birdman back

LeBron James is gone, but the rest of the Heat’s rotation is quickly coming back together. Earlier Sunday, Miami reached an agreement with Mario Chalmers on a new contract. And now, it’s the Birdman who has re-upped.

Chris Andersen — the Birdman — reaches agreement on a multi-year deal to return to the Miami Heat, league source tells Yahoo Sports.

Ray Allen, Rashard Lewis and James Jones are still free agents, but the Heat are reportedly working things out with Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem.

Update, 7:02 p.m. — Three-way deal for Ariza

Before the Draft, the Houston Rockets agreed to send Omer Asik to New Orleans. On Saturday, they agreed to sign Trevor Ariza to a four-year contract. And on Sunday, those two deals came together in the form of a three-team sign-and-trade transaction.

Wizards will take non-guaranteed contract of Melvin Ely from NO & get $8.5M TPE for Ariza, who will do sign and trade to go to Houston.

Houston's decision to not match on Chandler Parsons will have ripple effect to Indy, and Lance Stephenson. Lance was next up on Mavs list.

At one point, we thought the Rockets were going to have a lineup of Patrick Beverley, James Harden, Parsons, Chris Bosh and Dwight Howard. As it turns out, they’ve dealt away their depth (Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin), swapped Parsons for Trevor Ariza, and helped three fellow Western Conference teams (Lakers, Mavs and Pelicans) improve. They’re also giving the Washington Wizards an asset…

Washington and Houston have agreed to a sign-and-trade for Trevor Ariza, league source tells Yahoo. Wizards get $8.5M trade exception.

Mavericks will get Jefferson on a one-year minimum deal. Bargain signing after Jefferson completed his last contract in Utah

Update, 4:20 p.m. — Hinrich will be a Bull forever

The Charlotte Hornets were in the market for Kirk Hinrich, but with their agreement to sign back-up point guard Brian Roberts, it appears that Kirk Hinrich will be back in Chicago for more years of being Derrick Rose‘s back-up and/or fill-in …

Charlotte had been pursuing free agent Kirk Hinrich, but belief is that he's destined to sign with Bulls, league sources tell Yahoo.

Update, 3:48 p.m. — Kemba’s new back-up

Much to the chagrin of Hang Time’s Sekou Smith, Luke Ridnour‘s services are no longer needed in Charlotte, because Brian Roberts is a Hornet once again. He’ll be the first guy to play for the Charlotte version after playing for the New Orleans version …

He pondered that as the plane descended into Florida. He and James hadn’t spoken since that night. Four years. They’d seen each other a few times. “I’d sit on the baseline when he came back to play in Cleveland. He’d look at me from the free-throw line. Not good. Not bad. Just look.”

Now he was scheduled to meet James, in secret, to discuss what seemed impossible just days earlier — a return to the Cavs. The whole world was hanging on the news. But as Gilbert glanced out the window, for a moment he wasn’t a billionaire Detroit businessman or an NBA owner. He was every guy seeing his ex-wife after the divorce, every teen guitarist seeing a former friend who broke up the band.

“I had told LeBron’s guys, whether he comes back or not, I really want to clear the air. It shouldn’t be like this.”

He hoped that part would go smoothly. Then someone on board yelled the media had discovered his plane was en route, and a new airport had to be quickly found.

Gilbert realized nothing was going to be easy.

The moment of truth

But then, saying you’re sorry never is. You do it anyway. Long after the basketball smoke clears from this story, that’s the human part we ought to remember.

You shouldn’t be known for the worst thing you ever did. Gilbert entered that private home meeting by himself, no assistants, and sat down at a dining-room table across from James and a few associates.

“First thing I said to him was, ‘LeBron, you know this is true. We had five good years and one bad night. Like a marriage that’s good and then one bad thing happens and you never talk to each other again.

“ ‘I’m just glad we’re here, whether you come or not, LeBron. This has been hanging over my head.’ ”

To his surprise, he soon heard James saying the same thing. The superstar said he regretted the infamous “The Decision” broadcast. He said he didn’t think it out properly. In short, many of the things Gilbert was thinking about his own actions.

“I apologized and we talked and it took maybe 15 or 20 minutes. That’s it. Then I said, ‘Is that enough about the past?’ And we started talking about the future.”

Update, 10:38 a.m. — Mavericks-Rockets rivalry extends off the court

Never let business get personal.

ICYMI: There's a heck of a rivalry brewing between Rockets and Mavs, at least in the front offices. http://t.co/ny9Olxbdy7

Update, 10:20 a.m. — Rockets on the clock for Parsons

This is going to be a long day in both Houston and Dallas as the Rockets consider their options on Chandler Parsons. The countdown clock is ticking for Daryl Morey and Co. Do they match the Mavericks’ offer sheet to Parsons now that Trevor Ariza is in the fold?

They have until 11:59 p.m. to decide.

Update, 9:50 a.m. — The ultimate power

The power of LeBron!

LeBron's decision to return to Cleveland & the visceral reaction I saw from the ppl there truly illuminates the power of forgiveness & hope.

It was a tough shot, because Kyle Lowry was in Pierce’s shirt with a hand in his face. But Pierce had to take it because the shot clock was about to expire.

And maybe it didn’t matter that Lowry was there, because, according to SportVU, Pierce has shot better on contested jumpers than uncontested jumpers. Among 92 players who have attempted at least 100 of each, only one — the Pelicans’ Brian Roberts — has a bigger discrepancy.

Players who have shot better on contested jumpers

Uncontested

Contested

Player

FGM

FGA

FG%

FGM

FGA

FG%

Diff.

Brian Roberts

82

213

38.5%

63

128

49.2%

-10.7%

Paul Pierce

83

236

35.2%

62

151

41.1%

-5.9%

Russell Westbrook

73

203

36.0%

57

138

41.3%

-5.3%

Dirk Nowitzki

200

439

45.6%

210

431

48.7%

-3.2%

LeBron James

140

370

37.8%

47

117

40.2%

-2.3%

Marcus Morris

102

252

40.5%

61

143

42.7%

-2.2%

Rudy Gay

87

223

39.0%

105

259

40.5%

-1.5%

Evan Turner

107

288

37.2%

88

231

38.1%

-0.9%

Rodney Stuckey

67

178

37.6%

55

145

37.9%

-0.3%

Jamal Crawford

142

355

40.0%

143

356

40.2%

-0.2%

James Harden

141

375

37.6%

69

183

37.7%

-0.1%

Minimum 100 of each.
Contested = Any jump shot outside of 10 feet with a defender within four feet of the shooter.

Note: We’re looking at standard field goal percentage and not effective field goal percentage to simply see the effect on a player’s success rate.

That LeBron James has shot better on contested jumpers is more incentive for defenses to play off him on the perimeter, as the Spurs did (successfully, until Game 7) in The Finals.

The league has shot 5.4 percent better on uncontested jumpers this season. But a contest will affect some players more than others. On the opposite end of the spectrum from Roberts and Pierce is the Suns’ Goran Dragic …

Players who have shot at least 10 percent better on uncontested jumpers

Uncontested

Contested

Player Name

FGM

FGA

FG%

FGM

FGA

FG%

Diff.

Goran Dragic

145

279

52.0%

52

178

29.2%

22.8%

David West

142

288

49.3%

35

102

34.3%

15.0%

C.J. Miles

86

191

45.0%

36

118

30.5%

14.5%

Khris Middleton

148

302

49.0%

57

161

35.4%

13.6%

Jameer Nelson

118

312

37.8%

35

143

24.5%

13.3%

Kevin Love

201

473

42.5%

45

152

29.6%

12.9%

Bradley Beal

181

431

42.0%

78

263

29.7%

12.3%

Jerryd Bayless

91

217

41.9%

41

137

29.9%

12.0%

Terrence Ross

107

240

44.6%

59

181

32.6%

12.0%

Randy Foye

150

363

41.3%

39

132

29.5%

11.8%

Tim Hardaway Jr.

121

296

40.9%

30

103

29.1%

11.8%

Josh Smith

126

380

33.2%

28

129

21.7%

11.5%

For some of these guys, the difference is about how well they shoot when they’re left open. For some, it’s about how poorly they shoot when there’s a defender nearby. Josh Smith probably shouldn’t shoot jumpers at all.

January 13, 2014 · 1:54 PM ET

DALLAS —Austin Rivers, son of Doc, has found it more difficult than perhaps expected to make a name for himself in the NBA. Maybe that’s about to change.

Since New Orleans selected Rivers — some would say reached — with the 10th overall pick in 2012, the one-and-done Duke product has had a rocky indoctrination. He was thrust into the starting lineup early on and struggled, then was knocked out of the last quarter of his rookie season by a hand injury. He has spent his sophomore campaign so far largely riding the pine behind a recast backcourt of Jrue Holiday, Eric Gordon, Tyreke Evans and even the undrafted Brian Roberts .

Austin Rivers (Layne Murdoch/NBAE)

But as it goes in the NBA, things change quickly. Injuries to Holiday, Evans and 3-point-shooting power forward Ryan Anderson are drastically reshaping the Pelicans’ rotation. Suddenly the little-used Rivers is getting his shot for a team dangerously close to being out of playoff contention and dragging a five-game losing streak into Monday’s home game against San Antonio (8 p.m. ET, League Pass).

“The mindset in the locker room right now is if we play hard we can win,” Rivers said. “You look at teams right now like the Phoenix Suns, they don’t have superstar players, but they play hard, they play hard the whole game and they trust their system and they play the same way every night. And because of that they’re one of the better teams in the league, which no one could have called at the beginning of the year, and that’s because guys stepped up, and that’s what we need to do. We have more than enough talent and skill to do that.”

Rivers hopes to be a significant piece of the equation. He’s played in just 24 of 36 games, averaging just 13.3 minutes per game, 10 minutes off his rookie average when he started 26 of 61 games. His shooting percentages have remained stagnant, below 40 percent overall and around 32 percent from beyond the arc. Playing so little makes it difficult to develop any rhythm, but questions linger about the 6-foot-4 combo guard: Beyond an ability to get to the rim, is he NBA material?

Rivers, 21, said he examined that question daily during the offseason, and at times with his dad, former NBA guard and Clippers coach Doc Rivers.

“We looked at things and I had to look at myself and think about what I was doing good and what I was doing bad,” Rivers said. “The main thing was, it’s funny, the thing that I wasn’t doing was being myself. I was going out there and trying to live up to this or trying to be everything I wasn’t instead of being what got me here, which is not like me. That was my biggest focus. Some second-year guys do Summer League, some guys don’t; I was adamant about doing it because I wanted to go out there and show that I’m back to being me. That’s what I did. And then we just had a lot of trades where I had to sit out and wait, and now it’s my time.”

In the two games since Holiday was ruled out indefinitely with a fractured ankle, Rivers logged 25 and 23 minutes. He had played more minutes just once all season. In the first game, he aggressively attacked, tying his second-best scoring output of the season with 12 points, and adding a season-high four assists. He had nine points and four assists in Saturday’s second of back-to-back losses to Dallas.

In the latter game he also discovered that having a famous basketball surname means little when it comes to getting the benefit of a whistle. Rivers was being closely checked by Mavericks guard Monta Ellis above the 3-point arc as the game clock ticked down. The Pelicans needed a 3-pointer to tie. Rivers’ ballhandling was sloppy, but he regrouped. And as he tried to rise up for the shot, Ellis raked him across the arms. No call. Game over. The following day the league office ruled a foul should have been called and Rivers should have gone to the free-throw line for three shots and a chance to tie.

Tough lesson. Seems Rivers’ brief career already has been full of them.

“Everybody has different paths and that’s something that took me a while to figure that out,” Rivers said. “At first [not playing] was just frustrating … [but] that doesn’t do anything because at the end of the day I’m here, and I’m glad I’m here because I think this is all going to make me better in the long run. I like where I’m at with my teammates and my coaches and I think four or five years down the road from now I’ll be able to look back and be like, ‘I remember that time when guys were asking me how did you feel about this and that,’ and now I’m here.

“I know this is all a process, and I know if I continue to work like I know I do and to listen to the coaches and older guys I’ll be fine. But it’s funny how it works like this — one minute I’m like, ‘Man…,’ and now I’m playing a lot.”

January 9, 2013 · 2:04 PM ET

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HANG TIME SOUTHWEST —Greivis Vasquez deserves a raise — which he’ll get in due time — or the key to the city or, heck, just make him mayor of New Orleans.

The city, and its beleaguered basketball team, couldn’t ask for a better ambassador than the Venezuelan-born point guard who’s leaving his heart and sweat on the floor every night as he emerges as a top talent in the league.

“The biggest thing is I’m getting an opportunity,” said Vasquez, a recent player of the week recipient. “Still, people don’t know about me as much because I’m playing in a small market, which I love. I love this city, I love this team.”

Pretty refreshing stuff from a third-year player just starting to hit his stride for a franchise that’s endured it’s share of hard knocks in recent years — including a hard-luck 7-25 start to this season.

Why the reset on the season?

Because the ridiculously youthful Hornets finally got game-changer and now-healthy shooting guard Eric Gordon in the starting lineup Saturday. It allowed coach Monty Williams to make other changes and roll out the starting five he envisioned.

And this is where Vasquez’s ambassadorial value comes shining through. A 6-foot-6, bearded jolt of energy, smiles, enthusiasm and positivity, his team-first attitude is absolutely contagious. It’s critical to the evolution of this franchise, and no more so than as it relates to Gordon, the 6-foot-3 scoring machine deemed the future of the franchise when New Orleans acquired him in the painful CP3 trade 13 months ago.

“I have a good relationship with Eric and I tell you this, we have been talking a lot,” Vasquez said before Saturday’s comeback victory. “Eric is a pro. I feel him as a player too, because his knee was really bothering him. But now he feels like his teammates got his back, we all got his back. We all know he’s going to make us better and we’re going to make him better. And now, we talked [Friday] night, we’re going to make this situation a great situation. We’re going to start winning games.

“For a guy like that to say that to a guy like me, that means a lot. I’m sure he’s saying that on behalf of the whole team because we’re winners, we want to win and we work. And that has been the main thing of our team, we’re going to work regardless. Whether we lose or win tomorrow we are getting better because our vision is in the future.” (more…)